• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.59-68
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• 2016

The application of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to assess the environmental impact of rapeseed cultivation in winter fallow after harvesting rice was investigated and compared with barley cultivation in crop rotation system. Data for input materials were collected and analyzed by 1 ton rapeseed and barley as functional unit. For the Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) the Eco-indicator 95 method has been chosen because this is well documented and regularly applied impact method. From the comparison of impact categories such as greenhouse effect, ozone depletion, acidification, heavy metals, carcinogens, summer smog, and energy resources for 1 ton of final product, emission potential from rapeseed was higher than that from barley. The range from 65 to 96% of these potential came from chemical fertilizer. On the other hand, eutrophication potential from barley was higher than that from rapeseed, mainly came from utilizing the chemical fertilizer. During the cultivation of barley and rape, environmental burden by heavy metals was evaluated by 0.5 Pt, larger than points from other impact categories. The sum of points from all impact categories in barley and rapeseed was calculated to be 0.78 Pt and 0.82 Pt, respectively. From the sensitivity analysis for barley and rapeseed, scenario 1 (crop responses to fertilization level) showed the environmental burden was continuously increased with the amount of fertilization in barley cultivation, while it was not increased only at the optimum crop responses to fertilization in rapeseed (R3). With these results, rapeseed cultivation in winter fallow paddy contributed to the amounts of environmental burden much more than barley cultivation. It is, however, highly determined that environmental weighted point resulted from evaluating both cultivation was not significantly different.

• Clean Technology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.256-262
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• 2019

Hydroxylammonium nitrate (HAN)-based liquid propellants are attracting attention as environmentally friendly propellants because they are not carcinogens and the combustion gases have little toxicity. The catalyst used to decompose the HAN-based liquid propellant in a thruster must have both low temperature activity and high heat resistance. The objective of this study is to prepare an Ru/alumina/metal foam catalyst by supporting alumina slurry on the surface of NiCrAl metal foam using a washing coating method and then to support a ruthenium precursor thereon. The decomposition activity of a HAN aqueous solution of the Ru/alumina/metal foam catalyst was evaluated. The effect of the number of repetitive coatings of alumina slurry on the physical properties of the alumina/metal foam was analyzed. As the number of alumina wash coatings increased, mesopores with a diameter of about 7 nm were well-developed, thereby increasing the surface area and pore volume. It was optimal to repeat the wash coating alumina on the metal foam 12 times to maximize the surface area and pore volume of the alumina/metal foam. Mesopores were also well developed on the surface of the Ru/alumina/metal foam catalyst. It was found that the metal form itself without the active metal and alumina can promote the decomposition reaction of the HAN aqueous solution. In the case of the Ru/alumina/metal foam-550 catalyst, the decomposition onset temperature was significantly lowered compared with that of the thermal decomposition reaction, and ${\Delta}P$ could be greatly increased in the decomposition of the HAN aqueous solution. However, when the catalyst was calcined at $1,200^{\circ}C$, the catalytic activity was lowered inevitably because the surface area and pore volume of the catalyst were drastically reduced and Ru was sintered. Further research is needed to improve the heat resistance of Ru/alumina/metal foam catalysts.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.407-416
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• 1996

The reactive intermediates formed during the metabolism of therapeutic agents, toxicants and carcinogens by cytochromes P450 are frequently capable of covalently binding to tissue macromolecules and causing tissue damage. It has been shown that YH439, a congener of malotilate, is effective in suppressing hepatic P450 2E1 expression. The present study was designed to further establish the mechanistic basis of YH439 protection against toxicant by assessing its effects against chemical-mediated potentiated hepatotoxicity. Retinoyl palmitate (Vit-A) pretreatment of rats for 7 days substantially enhanced carbon tetrachloride hepatotoxicity, as supported by an ${\sim}5-fold$ increase in serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity, as compared to $CCl_4$ treatment alone. The elevation of ALT activity due to Vit-A was completely blocked by the treatment of $GdCl_3$ a selective inhibitor of Kupffer cell activity. Concomitant pretreatment of rats with both YH439 and Vit-A resulted in a 94% decrease in Vit-A-potentiated $CCl_4$ hepatotoxicity. YH439 was also effective against propyl sulfide-potentiated $CCl_4-induced$ hepatotoxicity. Whereas propyl sulfide (50 mg/kg, 7d) enhanced $CCl_4-induced$ hepatotoxicity by >5-fold, relative to $CCl_4$ treatment alone, concomitant treatment of animals with both propyl sulfide and YH439 at the doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg prevented propyl sulfide-potentiated $CCl_4$ hepatotoxicity by 35% and 90%, respectively. Allyl sulfide, a suppressant of hepatic P450 2E1 expression, completely blocked the propyl sulfide-enhanced hepatotoxicity, indicating that propyl sulfide potentiation of $CCl_4$ hepatotoxicity was highly associated with the expression of P450 2E1 and that YH439 blocked the propyl sulfide-enhanced hepatotoxicity through modulation of P450 2E1 levels. Propyl sulfide- and $CCl_4-induced$ stimulation of lipid peroxidation was also suppressed by YH439 in a dose-related manner, as supported by decreases in malonedialdehyde production. The role of P450 2E1 induction in the potentiation of $CCl_4$ toxicity and the effects of YH439 were further evaluated using pyridine as a P450 2E1 inducer. Pyridine pretreatment substantially enhanced the $CCl_4$ hepatotoicity by 23-fold, relative to $CCl_4$ alone. YH439, however, failed to reduce the pyridine-potentiated toxicity, suggesting that the other form(s) of cytochroms P450 inducible by pyridine, but not suppressible by YH439 treatment, may play a role in potentiating $CCl_4-induced$ hepatotoxicity. YH439 was capable of blocking cadmium chloride-induced liver toxicity in mice. These results demonstrated that YH439 efficiently blocks Vit-A-enhanced hepatotoxiciy through Kupffer cell inactivation and that the suppression of P450 2E1 expression by YH439 is highly associated with blocking of propyl sulfide-mediated hepatotoxicity.